QUALITY OF MA60 AIRCRAFT IN QUESTION

Following the crash of a Merpati Nusantara Airlines MA60 aircraft on Saturday in Kaimana, West Papua that killed all 27 people on board, critics have called the safety record of the aircraft, made by China’s Xian Aircraft Industry Co., into question. Previously two Merpati MA60 aircraft have also been involved in incidents in July 2010 and February 2011 although there were no casualties. In July 2010 at Selaparang airport in West Nusa Tenggara, the scheduled flight of a Merpati MA60 aircraft was called off due to a short circuit problem in the cabin, while in February this year at Kupang